Bust

George II was in the final years of his reign when this bust was modelled. The king's health was declining with the onset of deafness and blindness in one eye. At the time Britain was engaged in military campaigning on a global scale. In Europe Britain, Hanover and Prussia were fighting the Seven Years' War against France and her allies. Despite mixed European fortunes, Britain won significant colonial victories against the French. In 1758 British forces seized significant African territory in Senegal and the following year occupied Guadeloupe in the West Indies. The crowning victory was that of General Wolfe, whose troops captured Quebec from the French in the autumn of 1759. This period also saw the East India Company triumph over its French and Dutch rivals to establish British control of Bengal under the governorship of Robert Clive.

This soft-paste porcelain bust echoes the patriotic fervour of the war years and would have been purchased in order to demonstrate support for the monarchy. Of significant size, the bust was possibly intended for prominent display in an entrance hall or a domestic interior used for social occasions.

The bust was previously thought to have been produced by Richard Chaffers of Liverpool. However, recent opinion suggests that it may have been manufactured by the firm of Crisp and Sanders at Vauxhall. The short-lived partnership between the jeweller Nicholas Crisp and the potter John Sanders was formed in around 1751. After Sanders' death in 1758, his son William took over his share in the business until the pottery closed in 1764.